8c Olive Green, Bluish (363). Top imprint and plate no. 4922 (UL) strip of three, outer stamps lightly hinged, deep rich color on nicely blued paper, perf separations between left two stamps, small thin spot in selvage far from imprint

FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED INTACT IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER MULTIPLE OF THE 1909 8-CENT ON BLUISH PAPER IN PRIVATE HANDS. ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING ITEMS OF 20TH CENTURY UNITED STATES PHILATELY.

The June 1910 Third Assistant Postmaster General’s report states that 4,000 (ten sheets) of the 8c were printed on Bluish Paper. It is believed that none of the 4c and 8c Bluish Paper stamps were distributed to post offices, and that all of the examples in collectors’ hands reached the market through the Travers-Steinmetz exchange and the 1914 National Museum trades to H. F. Colman (12 copies) and Nassau Stamp Company (65 copies).

Four different plates were used to print the 8c Bluish Paper on the Hoe & Company four-plate press: 4919, 4922, 4923 and 4924, but only number 4922 has been recorded from surviving examples. This strip comes from the top of the upper left pane. The left imprint and plate number multiple from the same pane has been divided into singles and rejoined (offered in lot 137 of this sale), and no others are believed to exist in private hands. A pane of 100 from the upper right position of the same plate was reported by Boggs to be in the Post Office Department files.

In the absence of a plate block of the 8c Bluish Paper, this imprint and plate number strip assumes far greater significance.

Ex Colonel Edward H. R. Green (Part 17, Harmer Rooke, Nov. 13-18, 1944, lot 149), Amos Eno and B. D. Phillips. With 2017 P.F. certificate.

The Scott Catalogue values this imprint and plate number strip at $150,000.00, but since this item has not been sold since the 1978 Rarities of the World sale (where it realized $18,000 hammer versus its then-current $24,000 Scott value), the Scott value is conjectural.

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